Many people experience an answer to prayer and feel close to God because of the experience of knowing He loves them and cares for them. In scripture, the people of the Bible who had an experience of God, it was up close and personal. Take Isaiah, for example, who when he had an encounter with God said.
Isaiah 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Now here is a man who is totally unraveled by the Presence of God before Him. He feels himself to be coming apart at the seams, his unworthiness is overwhelming him, and he know the things out of his mouth are totally in appropriate in God’s Presence. He sees that even those who have worshipped the Lord with Him also fall into this unworthy category.
How often do we look around and see others and by comparison feel that we are doing good in our ever growing better at living the life God intended as far as we know and understand? Will we too be blown away in God’s Presence with our filthy rags that we so cling to in our own minds as right and good?
There is another man who also had an encounter with God. He is famous for his numerous up close and personal encounters. He is Moses.
Exodus 3:1
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
I have often wondered what Moses was things just prior to this encounter. Why was he had to be told that this is “holy”? Can he not sense the Holiness of this moment? Holy is not just a term, it is the pure essence of God.
4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
God had to instruct Moses regard on how to approach “Holy”. Not like Isaiah, who cried out in his unworthiness, Moses was just curious.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
It was when God introduced Himself to Moses did he become afraid. Now I know that when God speaks, it carries a depth of meaning, that is conveyed to the mind, in a kaleidoscope of memories, moments, visions, all unraveled and explaining in depth the full impact of what He is saying. So for Moses, the moment God introduced Himself, it hit Him. Being raised with the many gods of Egypt, Knowing only of talk and rumors of the Jewish faith, Moses never was properly introduced to God until this moment.
So what is this like for us today, if we encounter a face to face with God? Revelation states that He wants us to.
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Many people take Revelation as a book of mysteries and weird stuff that cannot be explained. I think differently. Too many times, in Revelation, it invites us to meet with God. But how does one prepare for a one on one, face to face meeting? One thing is pride that comes between God and us. It was what God saw in Pharaoh.
Exodus 10:3
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
We need to recognize just who we are dealing with. This is the God of the Universe, our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Lord of Lords. He is almighty, majestic, and way beyond what we can comprehend. There is no other God. He is it.
Another factor that separates us from God is sin. We need to purge ourselves of all sins, even the little secret ones that keep us from getting closer to God because we are still clinging to the sin we do not want to give up.
Exodus 20:20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Can you imagine that moment when Moses was there with God and God explained Himself to Moses? It was a comprehensive statement.
Exodus 34:5-7
5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
We too, need to understand that while God is merciful, and forgiving, it doesn’t clear the guilt, the sin, that hasn’t been covered by the blood of His sacrificed only Begotten Son, the Lamb of God. But first we need to know what sin is, in order to recognize it, and realize the task before us in cleansing us from all unrighteousness. God can forgive us, but we need to understand the sin in order to banish it from our lives. Many think that they can go on sinning, and God will cover us and this is why I believe a closer encounter with God will explain the fallacy of this illusion.
Deuteronomy 6:25
And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.
It is interesting that God wanted His people to come before Him three times a year, and yet had seven feasts. So what is so special about these three feasts that makes it mandatory for everyone to attend? The first one is the Passover, which God fulfilled when His only Begotten Son dies for us as our Lamb of God sacrificed for our sins. The second one is Pentecost where He blessed those who came, with His indwelling Holy Spirit. The third one is the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, when He will return in His second coming.
Exodus 34:23
Thrice in the year shall all … appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.
God will protect all those who are obedient in following His requirements.
Exodus 34:24
For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year.
He cannot protect who placed themselves on the side of sin, whether it is sin against their own bodies, those around them, or in what God requires of them.
Deuteronomy 8:20
As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.
Often God calls us into His ministry. He requires us to be obedient and faithful to the task laid out before us. We are not to take this calling lightly. We are to use God’s eyes to see the needs and hearts of His people and to minister unto them. We are to be His voice, His image, and His Presence before them. How can we do that if we have not yet ourselves been in His court and seen Him?
Numbers 16:9
Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
Things change all because of sin and righteousness. Whether you stay in sin or step out in righteousness, the future shifts accordingly.
Deuteronomy 9:4
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee.
It is actually amazing what God does with those who choose the path of righteousness. They may not see themselves, but others are watching and listening. It is not for us to second guess what God has instore but for us to walk as He has opened up for us to walk. When He convicts we follow Him, shedding all that stands in our path, to do as He requires. The blessings in this walk are many fold and the spiritual growth is well worth the tough decisions to step out in faith.
Deuteronomy 11:25
There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Your world changes as all and in all you see, say and do is for the glory of God. The blessings come in marvelous ways and they are overflowing.
Deuteronomy 12:7
And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.
By including all who come within your circle by conversation, in the telling of the experiences you have with God, lives change.
Deuteronomy 12:12
And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; ….
Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
Fullness of God is overflowing with His Presence in our lives, in our experiences and in our eyes to see His hand in every moment. It is so hard to explain how our spiritual eyes see differently, see things that were once brushed off as coincidences. By constant state of prayer, our lives are transformed into a live breathing work of God. God said,”Come hither.” He is inviting us to come up in vision to heaven to see what He has instore for us.
Revelation 4:1
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
How many are willing to take Him at His word and be like Samuel and say
1 Samuel 3:10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
We are chosen, called, and must be ready to go, say and do as the Lord requires. Does Revelation 4:1 speak to you and say “Come hither”.. and are you ready to go?
The next time the Lord calls, it will be to “come hither” but I ask you are you ready to drop everything and go?
Revelation 11:12
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
The things you will learn will make Revelation an easy book to read and understand, because it is made plain, the mystery of God will be finished, and the end times are opened up like a scroll and played out before our eyes.
Revelation 17:1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters:
I pray that all who read this did so prayerfully, asking God to reveal what is in it for them and apply it to their lives.
Isaiah 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Now here is a man who is totally unraveled by the Presence of God before Him. He feels himself to be coming apart at the seams, his unworthiness is overwhelming him, and he know the things out of his mouth are totally in appropriate in God’s Presence. He sees that even those who have worshipped the Lord with Him also fall into this unworthy category.
How often do we look around and see others and by comparison feel that we are doing good in our ever growing better at living the life God intended as far as we know and understand? Will we too be blown away in God’s Presence with our filthy rags that we so cling to in our own minds as right and good?
There is another man who also had an encounter with God. He is famous for his numerous up close and personal encounters. He is Moses.
Exodus 3:1
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
I have often wondered what Moses was things just prior to this encounter. Why was he had to be told that this is “holy”? Can he not sense the Holiness of this moment? Holy is not just a term, it is the pure essence of God.
4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
God had to instruct Moses regard on how to approach “Holy”. Not like Isaiah, who cried out in his unworthiness, Moses was just curious.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
It was when God introduced Himself to Moses did he become afraid. Now I know that when God speaks, it carries a depth of meaning, that is conveyed to the mind, in a kaleidoscope of memories, moments, visions, all unraveled and explaining in depth the full impact of what He is saying. So for Moses, the moment God introduced Himself, it hit Him. Being raised with the many gods of Egypt, Knowing only of talk and rumors of the Jewish faith, Moses never was properly introduced to God until this moment.
So what is this like for us today, if we encounter a face to face with God? Revelation states that He wants us to.
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Many people take Revelation as a book of mysteries and weird stuff that cannot be explained. I think differently. Too many times, in Revelation, it invites us to meet with God. But how does one prepare for a one on one, face to face meeting? One thing is pride that comes between God and us. It was what God saw in Pharaoh.
Exodus 10:3
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
We need to recognize just who we are dealing with. This is the God of the Universe, our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Lord of Lords. He is almighty, majestic, and way beyond what we can comprehend. There is no other God. He is it.
Another factor that separates us from God is sin. We need to purge ourselves of all sins, even the little secret ones that keep us from getting closer to God because we are still clinging to the sin we do not want to give up.
Exodus 20:20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Can you imagine that moment when Moses was there with God and God explained Himself to Moses? It was a comprehensive statement.
Exodus 34:5-7
5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
We too, need to understand that while God is merciful, and forgiving, it doesn’t clear the guilt, the sin, that hasn’t been covered by the blood of His sacrificed only Begotten Son, the Lamb of God. But first we need to know what sin is, in order to recognize it, and realize the task before us in cleansing us from all unrighteousness. God can forgive us, but we need to understand the sin in order to banish it from our lives. Many think that they can go on sinning, and God will cover us and this is why I believe a closer encounter with God will explain the fallacy of this illusion.
Deuteronomy 6:25
And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.
It is interesting that God wanted His people to come before Him three times a year, and yet had seven feasts. So what is so special about these three feasts that makes it mandatory for everyone to attend? The first one is the Passover, which God fulfilled when His only Begotten Son dies for us as our Lamb of God sacrificed for our sins. The second one is Pentecost where He blessed those who came, with His indwelling Holy Spirit. The third one is the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, when He will return in His second coming.
Exodus 34:23
Thrice in the year shall all … appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.
God will protect all those who are obedient in following His requirements.
Exodus 34:24
For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year.
He cannot protect who placed themselves on the side of sin, whether it is sin against their own bodies, those around them, or in what God requires of them.
Deuteronomy 8:20
As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.
Often God calls us into His ministry. He requires us to be obedient and faithful to the task laid out before us. We are not to take this calling lightly. We are to use God’s eyes to see the needs and hearts of His people and to minister unto them. We are to be His voice, His image, and His Presence before them. How can we do that if we have not yet ourselves been in His court and seen Him?
Numbers 16:9
Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
Things change all because of sin and righteousness. Whether you stay in sin or step out in righteousness, the future shifts accordingly.
Deuteronomy 9:4
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee.
It is actually amazing what God does with those who choose the path of righteousness. They may not see themselves, but others are watching and listening. It is not for us to second guess what God has instore but for us to walk as He has opened up for us to walk. When He convicts we follow Him, shedding all that stands in our path, to do as He requires. The blessings in this walk are many fold and the spiritual growth is well worth the tough decisions to step out in faith.
Deuteronomy 11:25
There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Your world changes as all and in all you see, say and do is for the glory of God. The blessings come in marvelous ways and they are overflowing.
Deuteronomy 12:7
And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.
By including all who come within your circle by conversation, in the telling of the experiences you have with God, lives change.
Deuteronomy 12:12
And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; ….
Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
Fullness of God is overflowing with His Presence in our lives, in our experiences and in our eyes to see His hand in every moment. It is so hard to explain how our spiritual eyes see differently, see things that were once brushed off as coincidences. By constant state of prayer, our lives are transformed into a live breathing work of God. God said,”Come hither.” He is inviting us to come up in vision to heaven to see what He has instore for us.
Revelation 4:1
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
How many are willing to take Him at His word and be like Samuel and say
1 Samuel 3:10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
We are chosen, called, and must be ready to go, say and do as the Lord requires. Does Revelation 4:1 speak to you and say “Come hither”.. and are you ready to go?
The next time the Lord calls, it will be to “come hither” but I ask you are you ready to drop everything and go?
Revelation 11:12
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
The things you will learn will make Revelation an easy book to read and understand, because it is made plain, the mystery of God will be finished, and the end times are opened up like a scroll and played out before our eyes.
Revelation 17:1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters:
I pray that all who read this did so prayerfully, asking God to reveal what is in it for them and apply it to their lives.
